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Russia tries to cover up its losses in Ukrainian missile attack in Makiivka

Photo: AP

Ukraine and the EU will hold a summit in Kyiv on 3 February to discuss financial and military support, President Volodymyr Zelensky's office said in a statement. Volodymyr Zelensky announced he had coordinated steps on the summit in a telephone conversation with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, his first telephone call for the year.

“Only 2 days have passed since the beginning of the year, and the number of Iranian drones shot down over Ukraine already exceeds 80,” said President Zelensky in his nightly address. “This number may increase in the near future. We have information that Russia is planning a prolonged attack with "Shaheds". Its bet may be on exhaustion of our people, air defense, energy sector,” he stated.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War writes: Russia’s air and missile campaign against Ukraine is likely not generating the Kremlin’s desired information effects among Russia’s nationalists. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that a Ukrainian precision strike on a Russian manpower and military equipment concentration point in Makiivka destroyed up to 10 pieces of equipment. (...) Such profound military failures will continue to complicate Putin’s efforts to appease the Russian pro-war community and retain the dominant narrative in the domestic information space, ISW writes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered an investigation into the Ukrainian strike on Russian troops in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town Makiivka near Donetsk at midnight on 31 December. The Ukrainian army says around 400 Russian conscripts were killed as they were most likely celebrating in makeshift barracks. The Kremlin has admitted to 63 deaths, but Russian milbloggers are also talking about hundreds of casualties in the massive Ukrainian missile attack.

Nationalist Russian milbloggers have been expressing indignation over a video released by the Wagner mercenary group, showing Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in civilian clothing dancing at a corporate party at the time of the Ukrainian missile attack. The Ministry of Defence has been laying the blame for the Makiivka attack on the militias of the Donetsk separatists.



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